Kyra A. Kietrys

Education

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania M.A. Middlebury College B.A. Wellesley College

Background

I have been at Davidson since 2001. I teach Spanish language courses and advanced literature and culture courses on Contemporary Spain. I also direct senior theses and guide student summer research projects in the department. Additionally, I have collaborated with colleagues from other departments to develop two interdisciplinary courses: the theory and practice of literary translation and second language acquisition.

I am strongly committed to creating opportunities for intercultural exchange on campus, in the community, and abroad. I established the Davidson Summer Program in Cádiz, Spain and have directed it twice. I will also be directing the inaugural Davidson in Madrid program for the spring 2014 semester. In our community, I began the Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) volunteer partnership between Davidson College and Davidson Elementary School, in which college volunteers teach weekly Spanish classes to kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. I have also served as the faculty adviser to OLAS and worked on strategic planning initiatives for globalization.

I'm a member of the Modern Language Association, the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, the Asociación Hispánica de Humanidades, the Asociación Internacional de Literatura y Cultura Femenina Hispánica, and the Feministas Unidas. I have served as treasurer of AILCFH and book review editor for Letras Peninsulares, and have presented papers in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Portugal, and Spain.